Stellar Ecosystem
News

The Centre Consortium announced that USD Coin (USDC) is now an official blockchain for Stellar, with availability expected in Q1 2021. This partnership enables developers and users to leverage USDC for efficient cross-border transactions on Stellar's network.

Stellar validators will vote on Protocol 15 upgrade on November 23, 2020, introducing Claimable Balances and Sponsored Reserves to simplify user onboarding and reduce friction for anchors and app developers building on the network.

Stellar's SEP-24 and SEP-31 standards define how anchors integrate with wallets and each other for fiat on/off-ramps and cross-border payments. SEP-24 enables direct user deposits/withdrawals through wallet interfaces, while SEP-31 allows anchor-to-anchor bank transfers without end-user involvement.

Denelle Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, briefed the House Financial Services Committee on blockchain's role in transforming payments, focusing on how Stellar enables fast, low-cost cross-border remittances through real-world examples like Cowrie in Nigeria and Tempo in Europe.

Stellar is purpose-built for stablecoins, enabling interoperable global payments by bridging fiat and digital currencies. The network's native asset issuance and Anchor infrastructure create a frictionless cross-border payment system with near-instant settlement and ultra-low costs.

Stellar has been integrated into Samsung Blockchain Keystore, becoming the fifth cryptocurrency supported alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, and Klaytn. Samsung Galaxy users can now securely store private keys and sign transactions on Stellar dapps.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced Meridian 2020, its second annual virtual conference (November 16-20), designed as a global forum to address systemic challenges through diverse perspectives and collaborative action on financial inclusion, cross-border payments, and equitable access to financial systems.

Stellar explains how anchors bridge traditional banking and the Stellar network by issuing fiat-backed tokens and providing on/off-ramps. The SDF outlines anchor functions, business opportunities, and the path to becoming an anchor in the emerging global payment standard.

The Stellar Development Foundation partnered with Elliptic to integrate crypto-asset risk management and AML compliance tools into the Stellar network, enabling businesses to conduct enhanced compliance checks on assets from issuance to redemption while maintaining the network's built-in compliance functionality.

SatoshiPay raised $550,000 in XLM via convertible loan from Stellar Development Foundation to launch a B2B instant money transfer service on Stellar, processing transactions in 5 seconds with minimal fees.

The Stellar Development Foundation converted its $550,000 Series A pledge to SatoshiPay into a loan after the coronavirus pandemic derailed the funding round, providing the micropayments firm with 12 months of runway while it develops new B2B solutions.

Stellar Development Foundation aims to become the global payments standard within 5 years, with CEO Denelle Dixon highlighting CBDCs as a key opportunity. The foundation is pursuing government adoption of CBDCs on Stellar's network, though founder Jed McCaleb acknowledges this remains early-stage. Protocol 13 and Horizon 1.0 upgrades are planned for June.

Stellar co-founder Jed McCaleb stated at Consensus: Distributed that no crypto projects are currently making a real difference in people's lives beyond speculation. He argued crypto startups should focus on building useful products rather than bank partnerships and business development deals.

SEP-29 enables exchanges and wallets to solve the "forgotten memo" problem on Stellar. Exchanges can now require memos by setting a simple data entry flag, while wallets upgraded to the latest SDK will automatically prevent memo-less payments to those addresses.

SDF hosted a webinar featuring Cowrie Integrated Systems, a Nigerian fintech company using Stellar to enable low-cost, instant payments into and out of Nigerian bank accounts via their NGNT stablecoin and anchor integration.

Crypto.com added XLM to its Crypto Earn product, offering users up to 8% annual returns on Stellar deposits with weekly payouts and flexible terms.

Stellar has been running its own Lightning Torch since June 2019, a community experiment that passes XLM around the world to demonstrate the blockchain's base-layer transaction efficiency. The torch, initiated by Wouter Arkink, has covered nearly 500,000 kilometers with zero transaction fees and introduced challenges like claiming countries and recruiting famous participants.

Interstellar v4.0 (Voyager Update) released with major wallet improvements. New All-Spark feature enables asset transfers without trustlines or funded accounts. Comprehensive SEP6/24/10 anchor integration lets users deposit and withdraw directly in-app. Adds 11 new languages and enhanced security.

Coinbase has enabled Stellar Lumens (XLM) and Chainlink (LINK) trading for New York residents, months after launching these assets in other jurisdictions. XLM launched on Coinbase in March, LINK in June; New York's regulatory requirements delayed availability in the state.

Mike Kennedy, creator of Zelle, became CEO of Interstellar, a Stellar-based blockchain payment platform competing with Ripple and Swift. Interstellar is crypto-agnostic and aims to enable faster, cheaper cross-border payments for banks without correspondent banking networks.

Stellar Development Foundation and Keybase announced a 2 billion XLM airdrop worth roughly $120 million, distributing 100 million XLM monthly to Keybase's 300,000 active users over 20 months. The partnership aims to introduce cryptocurrency to non-crypto-native users through an existing messaging platform.

The Stellar Development Foundation met with U.S. policymakers and regulators in Washington, DC to discuss blockchain regulation and the Stellar Network. SDF emphasized distinguishing between base protocols (which should remain unregulated) and applications built on top (which should follow existing compliance standards) to enable innovation while protecting consumers.

Binance will airdrop 9.5 million XLM to users and introduce staking rewards after discovering it had been staking customer Lumens since August 2018 without sharing the rewards.